Process and installation for burning liquified hydrocarbons

ABSTRACT

A process and apparatus for burning liquified hydrocarbons in which the liquid is supplied to an injector at a pressure not less than the vapor pressure at ambient temperature and is burnt in a pulsed airflow. The injector has a valve which is spring biased and is opened by the pressure of the liquid on a diaphragm.

I United States Patent 1 13,591,0s1

[72] Inventor Paul Andre [50] Field of Search 431/1, 356;Deuil-la-Barre, France 239/l0l, 95, 533, 424 [21] Appl.No. 804,197 [22]Filed Mar. 4, I969 References Cited {45] Patented July 6, 197] UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 11 1 Assisnee ym Des G11 99 e 3,204,876 9/1965 Elverston239/533 Fran 3,385,527 5/1968 Drewry 239/424 1 1 Prwmy 29, 19683,406,906 10/1968 Backman et al. 239/101 [33] France [3" 146120 PrimaryExammer-Lloyd L. King Attorneys-Robert E. Burns and Emmanuel J. Lobato[54] PROCESS AND INSTALLATION FOR BURNING ABSTRACT: A process andapparatus for burning liquified uQUmED HYPROQARBONS hydrocarbons inwhich the liquid is supplied to an injector at a 2 Claims 2 Draw'ngpressure not less than the vapor pressure at ambient tempera- [52] U.S.Cl 239/95, ture and is burnt in a pulsed airflow. The injector has avalve 239/101, 239/533, 239/584 which is spring biased and is opened bythe pressure of the [51 1 Int. Cl F02m 45/ I0 liquid on a diaphragm.

PROCESS AND INSTALLATION FOR BURNING LIQUIFIED IIYDROCARBONS The presentinvention relates to a process and installation for.burning liquifiedhydrocarbons with the aid. of an injector.

' The process according to the invention is essentially characteri'zedby the fact that it consists in feeding the said injector with the saidliquified hydrocarbons at a pressure equal to or higher than their vaporpressure for the ambient temperature concerned.

Owing to this step, the liquified hydrocarbon remains in the liquidstate upto the instant of ejections by the injector, and theinstallation for this mode of combustion is of different form andconception from conventional installations in which the feeding of theburner through the intermediary of the injector takes place in thegaseous form and which are bound up with the fact that-the passage ofthe liquified hydrocarbon to the gaseous state necessitates anapplication of heat and that this change of state involves aconsiderable increase in volume, of the order of one to 250.

This is the reason why the installation for the performance of theprocess is relatively simplified.

lt is characterized mainly by the following features taken separately orin their various combinations:

the injector is mounted in a chamber traversed by air, which is'pulsed,preferably in the direction of injection;

in the feed conduit of the injector is mounted a pump drawing theliquifled hydrocarbon from the storage reservoir and delivering it atthe desired increased pressure;

between the pump and the injector is provided an electrovalve controlledfrom a safety box which also controls an igniting device and if desireda member for controlling the flame;

; the injector is constituted by an elongated envelope the end of whichis provided with a calibrated outlet opening, controlled by a valveprovided at one end of a rod bearing, at its other end, against adiaphragm on which acts, in the closing sense, a pressure lower thanthat given to the liquified hydrocarbon feeding the injector;

the pressure that acts on the diaphragm in the closing sense is obtainedfrom a spring of which the effort exerted on the said diaphragm isadjustable by means of a screw accessible through the other end of theelongated envelope;

the valve rod is guided axially on the one hand by passing through acentral opening formed in a ring fixed in the chamber of the injector,and on the other hand by means of an identical ring solid with the rodand sliding in this chamber, the latter ring being subjected to theaction of a spring ensuring contact of the rod with the diaphragm.

By way of example, a practical form of the invention is described belowand illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawing.

FIG. 1 is the layout of the installation.

FIG. 2 is an axial section of the injector.

In FIG. 1, reference 1 indicates the reservoir in which the liquifiedhydrocarbon or the mixture of liquified hydrocarbon is stored. To thelower part of this container is connected a conduit 2 which is alsoconnected to the suction side of a pump 3. This delivers the liquifiedhydrocarbon at the desired pressure to the conduit 4 which opens intothe injector 5, illustrated in detail in FIG. 2.

The injector 5 is mounted in a chamber 6 at the rear of which isprovided a fan 7 sending pulsed air towards the front of the saidchamber to improve the combustion that takes place at the front of theinjector.

The installation is completed by control and safety means assembled in abox 8. Through the intermediary thereof, are controlled the voltageapplied to the pump 3 and to an electrovalve 9 mounted in the conduit 4,as well as the igniting device 10 and a flame control member indicatedby the reference 11.

In FIG. 2 is illustrated an axial section of the injector 5.

This is constituted by a tubular sleeve 12 to which is welded the inputconnector 13 for the hydrocarbon liquified fed by the conduit 4.

' The front end of the sleeve 12 is provided with a screw thread 36 bymeans of which the cap 14 is screwed on. The latter is provided with acalibrated passage '15.

In the inner face of the cap is formed, around the calibrated orifice14, a rib l7 constituting the seat for a valve 18 carried by a rod 19the other end of which is provided with a head 20 bearing against thediaphragm 21. This is held in place by means of a cap 22 screwed at 23on to the rear part of the sleeve 12.

In the cap 22 is located an opposing spring 24 applied on the one handto a stud 25 bearing against the diaphragm 21, on the side opposite thehead 20, and on the other hand to a screw 26 engaged in a screw threadedhole 27 in the cap 22, which is surmounted by a protecting cap 28 forthe screw 26.

The valve rod 19 is guided axially in the chamber 29 defined by thesleeve 12, by'means of two discs or rings 30 and 31. The ring 30 isfixed in the chamber 12 and it has a central opening 32 for the rod 19and axial passages 33 for the liquified hydrocarbon arriving at 13. Thering 31 is solid with the rod 19 and also has axial holes 33', for thepassage of the liquified hydrocarbon. This ring 31 is guided in thechamber 12, and on the face thereof opposite the diaphragm acts a spring34 which also bears against a shoulder 35 formed in the internal wall ofthe sleeve, the arrangement being such that this spring ensures contactof the head 20 with the diaphragm.

The operation of this installation will be described below in itsapplication to butane, without thereby limiting the scope of theinvention which extends to any liquified hydrocarbon.

The butane contained in the reservoir 1 is at a pressure of about 2 barsfor a given temperature. The pump 3 draws it and delivers it to theconduit 4 at a pressure of about 8 bars, and the butane at this pressureis fed into the injector 5, passing through the electrovalve, assumed tobe open. The butane passing through the connector 13 penetrates into thechamber 29 and the pressure of 8 bars is exerted on the diaphragm 21,which becomes flexed towards the left in the drawing (FIG. 2) overcomingthe force of the opposing spring 24 which is adjusted so as to exert apressure lower than 8 bars on the said diaphragm. Since the spring 34applies the head 20 continuously against the diaphragm 21, the rod 19becomes displaced to the left and the valve 18 is lifted from its seat,uncovering the calibrated orifice 15 through which the butane escapes tothe atmosphere, at the same time evaporating, the butane vapor mixingwith the surrounding air and with the pulsed air so as to burn with alow flame.

In order to interrupt the operation, closing of the electrovalve 9 iseffected and the pressure in the chamber 29 falls. When it reaches avalue equal to or slightly below that exerted by the spring 24, thediaphragm 21 and the rod 19 become displaced to the right and the valve18 is applied to its seat, closing the calibrated orifice l5.

It is to be noted that because the liquified hydrocarbon remains in theliquid state up to the instant of ejection by the injector, no frost isformed and deposited in the housing of that injector, which is a furtheradvantage of the invention.

The installation is not limited to the practical form described andillustrated; it may undergo modifications whilst remaining within thescope of the invention.

Thus, the pump may be replaced by other means enabling the desiredpressure to be obtained, for example by pneumatic means.

I claim:

I. A plant for burning liquified combustible gases in liquid statecomprising a combustion chamber, an injector arranged in said combustionchamber and comprising an elongated cylinder provided at one end thereofwith a calibrated outlet opening, a valve member cooperating with saidoutlet opening, a rod carrying said valve member at one end thereof andslidably arranged within said elongated cylinder, a diaphragm tightlyarranged across said cylinder near its end opposite to the outletopening, first spring means acting on said rod to slightly press itsother end on one side of the diaphragm, second spring meanssubstantially stronger than the first spring means acting on the otherside of said diaphragm to hold said valve member in closed positionagainst said outlet opening, a pump connected to said injector betweensaid outlet opening and said diaphragm to feed the liquified combustiblegas to the injector at a pressure substantially higher than the vaporpressure of said liquified gas at ambient temperature, a control valvearranged between the pump and the injector, said second spring meansbeing dimensioned to allow the valve member to be opened under theaction of the normal delivery pressure of the pump on the diaphragm andto close the valve member when the pressure inside the injector is lowerthan the normal delivery pressure of the pump but still higher than thevapor pressure of the liquified gas at ambient temperature, whereby theinjector remains at rest filled with liquified gas when the controlvalve is closed and when the pump is stopped.

2. A plant for burning liquified combustible gases in liquid stateaccording to claim 1; wherein a fixed ring is arranged in said elongatedcylinder forming the injector and provided with a central bore to guidethe valve member carrying slidable rod and a second ring attached tosaid rod for sliding in said cylinder, abutment means arranged in saidcylinder near its end having the outlet opening, the said first springmeans being arranged between said abutment means and said second ring topress the slidable rod against the diaphragm, a screw extending throughthe end of said cylinder opposite to its end provided with the outletopening and engaging said second spring means to adjust the pressureexerted by said second spring means on the diaphragm.

1. A plant for burning liquified combustible gases in liquid statecomprising a combustion chamber, an injector arranged in said combustionchamber and comprising an elongated cylinder provided at one end thereofwith a calibrated outlet opening, a valve member cooperating with saidoutlet opening, a rod carrying said valve member at one end thereof andslidably arranged within said elongated cylinder, a diaphragm tightlyarranged across said cylinder near its end opposite to the outletopening, first spring means acting on said rod to slightly press itsother end on one side of the diaphragm, second spring meanssubstantially stronger than the first spring means acting on the otherside of said diaphragm to hold said valve member in closed positionagainst said outlet opening, a pump connected to said injector betweensaid outlet opening and said diaphragm to feed the liquified combustiblegas to the injector at a pressure substantially higher than the vaporpressure of said liquified gas at ambient temperature, a control valvearranged between the pump and the injector, said second spring meansbeing dimensioned to allow the valve member to be opened under theaction of the normal delivery pressure of the pump on the diaphragm andto close the valve member when the pressure inside the injector is lowerthan the normal delivery pressure of the pump but still higher than thevapor pressure of the liquified gas at ambient temperature, whereby theinjector remains at rest filled with liquified gas when the controlvalve is closed and when the pump is stopped.
 2. A plant for burningliquified combustible gases in liquid state according to claim 1;wherein a fixed ring is arranged in said elongated cylinder forming theinjector and provided with a central bore to guide the valve membercarrying slidable rod and a second ring attached to said rod for slidingin said cylinder, abutment means arranged in said cylinder near its endhaving the outlet opening, the said first spring means being arrangedbetween said abutment means and said second ring to press the slidablerod against the diaphragm, a screw extending through the end of saidcylinder opposite to its end provided with the outlet opening andengaging said second spring means to adjust the pressure exerted by saidsecond spring means on the diaphragm.